Judge Dismisses Suit Over Oil Pipeline Expansions

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge in Minnesota has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the permits for oil pipelines in the Upper Midwest.

The environmental groups who brought the lawsuit claimed the government didn’t properly analyze the effects of two pipelines being built by Enbridge Energy. But U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank disagreed, and said this week that the government gave the projects a “hard look” before granting permits.

The Alberta Clipper pipeline will bring crude oil to the U.S. from Canada’s oil sands. It runs between Superior, Wis., and Hardisty, Alberta through Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota.

The Southern Lights pipeline will run from Manhattan, Ill., to Clearbrook, Minn., and hook up with another line carrying a light petroleum liquid to Canada.

Sarah Burt, an attorney for Earthjustice, says her clients have not yet decided whether to appeal.